The present invention relates to an improved apparatus on which to play a basketball game and the improved game played on the improved apparatus.
The present apparatus comprises a court and goals. The court may be the same size or substantially the same size court previously employed in basketball. Similarly the baskets or goals are substantially the same as employed in the prior game of basketball.
Currently there are many organizations and a great deal of pressure towards obtaining equal treatment between male and female. Some of the more vocal organizations have urged that the young male members of our society are allowed to compete in games such as basketball which develop the proper spirit of competitiveness which is ultimately necessary for these youngsters to succeed in business or the more competitive world and young females are denied their opportunity to compete in the same environment with the males and are thereby denied to come to understand their potential competitors in adult life. Since many of these sports are contact sports such as basketball, wherein it would be eminently unfair to put females against males on an equal physical level, young girls are deprived of the competitive experience, and thereby enter into adulthood at a disadvantage to their male peers. Hence, the female is held at a disadvantage even when job opportunities are made available to her.
The disparity between the physical development of males and females of peer groups is an accepted and established medical fact. In early childhood up through adolescence there is less of a physical difference, however even in these early years the male members of the peer group tend to have more muscular development than the female members. Similarly, after adolescence the male members of the group develop substantially more muscular physiques with or without particular effort in so doing, than the female members of the peer group, which would make any organized or direct physical competition directly between members of this older group completely unrealistic and eminently unfair to the female participants.
However, if there is any merit to the contention of those who hold to the belief the lack of competition by the female members of the peer group during this formative age in the competitive hard driving sports game, puts them at a disadvantage, and it would seem that this is logical since environment is an accepted factor in determining an individual's approach to life and lifestyle, it would appear that there must be some way to directly involve the females in the peer group directly in the highly competitive contact type sport in which the male members participate, without emphasizing the physical disparity between the two groups.
It is a feature of the present invention that a basketball game is playable on an adapted basketball court wherein different classes of participants may play on each team in accordance with substantially the same rules as prior art basketball is played, with the participants of different classes playing against another on opposite teams.
It is a further feature of the present invention that direct body contact between participants of different classes of skill or ability or physical characteristics is minimized or avoided entirely yet the element of competition and participation of the members of different classes is retained.
It is a particular advantage of the present invention that males and females may play on the same team, on the same court in the same game against a similarly constituted team.
It is further an advantage of the present game that younger and older participants may play on the same court in the same game and under the same rule against a similarly constituted team.
It is particularly a feature of the present invention that the one class of players may still play the game of basketball on substantially the same court and in substantially the same manner as before, and a second class of players will provide a supporting and additive role to the players of the first class or form.
A further feature of the present invention is members of different groups participate and enter into the competition with each other, while not making either group feel that it is inferior or being subjected to reverse discrimination by being forced into competition with the first group directly, thus the degree of competition which may be useful between males and females, can be achieved without the unnecessary antagonization of those who hold other views.